Nebula; Come to Ours

Fringe event: Come to Ours
By Jess Young

Come to Ours is a series of artist-led fringe events and activities, run by and comprising of Neil Rose, Rachel Dobbs, Hannah Jones, Mark James, Chris Green, Bryony Gillard and Beth Richards. There have been six strands of Come to Ours running alongside British Art Show 7; A Circle (Now finished), The Library of Independent Exchange (Now finished, but returning to Plymouth College of Art Viewpoint Gallery in February 2012), Plymouth Aural Survey, Video Takeaway, Would You Like This Badge?, and The Fireplace Gallery. Having spoken with Neil Rose of Come to Ours, the feeling that you get, despite each of these events being very different in content, is of the overriding desire to welcome ‘outsiders’, visitors to BAS7, into our city, and into perhaps the more intimate, friendly face of Plymouth’s art scene; as he put it, to “assist people who don’t know the city, to navigate the city... assist them in achieving those things that they need.” In many ways, from what I gather, the projects are to be viewed as an absolute beginner’s guide to Plymouth; the artists involved are confirming for you the takeaways that it’s okay to eat from, and the pubs that it’s okay to drink in, inviting you into their homes, and telling you a bit about the People of Plymouth.

My own experience of the Come to Ours program is that it offers a much more inviting, less rigid art experience- most of them giving the viewer the opportunity to also become a participant in these art activities, and actually a wholly different experience to that of the British Art Show, and the expectation of viewing art within the typical gallery space.
The Come to Ours activities have been very varied, and have included Performance art, or more accurately art with performative aspects as in A Circle, an independent arts library; L.I.E, and a tongue-in-cheek take on the classic white gallery space, at the Fireplace Gallery where you can view micro-exhibitions every Sunday.

BAS7 may be drawing to a close, but have no fear, if you’re quick you can still experience a lot of what Come to Ours have to offer;
Plymouth Aural Survey can be experienced online at www.PlymouthAuralSurvey.co.uk;
The Library of Independent Exchange is over for now, but will return to Plymouth at PCA Viewpoint Gallery from the beginning of February 2012;
You can catch the Video Takeaway at Ali Baba’s New York Express Mon-Thurs 7pm-close, and at Jakes Fri-Sat 7pm-close right up until December 3rd;
Would You Like This Badge? Will be running until December 4th at The Fortescue, The Seymour Arms, The Nowhere Inn, Ride Café, and B-Bar, though if you do actually want a badge, you’d better get there quick!
And finally, the Fireplace Gallery will still be putting on microcosmic exhibitions until 4th December- Every Sunday from 3-6pm. Contact the Fireplace at Fireplace-gallery@live.co.uk if you would like to visit.
More information can be found on the Come to Ours website at www.CometoOurs.co.uk